Tips for Photographing Children

Taking photos of children sometimes can seem like a never-ending task. They don’t stay in the same place for long and are arguably one of the most unpredictable subjects. Here are some tips to get some great pictures of your special children.

1.     Use a stool or chair. This will give them something to sit on. You can call this your home area. If they are getting antsy and leaving the chair, put a Cheerio or some kind of food on the chair for them to get once they sit down.

2.     Use entrapment. It sounds bad, but it will get them to stay in one place and will make for cute pictures.

3.     Be outdoors. Don’t force them to sit or stay in one spot because that isn’t their natural instincts while being outside. Set up a start and finish line and get them as they cross the finish line, which will create great shots.

4.     Have them perform for you. If they like to dance, ask them to! If they like to play with tractors, ask them to! It will show the personality of the child and create cute shots.

5.     Use a blankie. A lot of children grow up having a special blanket that they take everywhere. It will also comfort them if they are having a hard time taking pictures.

Children are always curious so even them looking at a flower can be the cutest thing. Hopefully these tips will help make photographing children not seem like a never-ending task anymore and more of a fun and happy go lucky type of photo shoot!

-Katie :) 

Photo Booths

This year, 2013, is the 125^th Anniversary of the photo booths. The photo booth was patented in 1888 by William Pope and Edward Poole. It wasn’t called a photo booth then, rather an automated photography machine.

The first commercially successful photo booth was the Bosco in Hamburg, Germany.

The modern concept of a photo booth arrived in the U.S. in 1923. It made its first appearance on Broadway in New York City, New York.  The booth took, developed and printed 8 photos in ten minutes for only 25 cents.

Photo booths are now a common activity at weddings, fairs, arcades, and amusement parks. Amateurs are also starting to make their own. Here are some video ideas to make your own!

Camera Modes

Cameras come with many different options of what to shoot in. This blog will focus on what the settings mean and when to use them.

            1. Auto: This is default for almost all photos. You can change different things

on this setting to make your picture better. Auto is mostly used though for quick shots, which requires the camera to do all the setting changes such as white balance and aperture.

2. Program: On your camera it may be P or Ps. This mode gives you more control over your camera’s settings, but is basically Auto mode. In this mode, Exposure is based on the zoom or length of the lens in use. The camera’s recommended setting can quickly be changed to make it the picture you want.

3. Aperture Priority: On your camera this mode will be indicated by A or Av. This mode is mainly used when you want to control the depth field. It is the most popular mode among amateur photographers. If you have a large f-number, much of the photo seems to be in focus. If you have a small f-number, your subjects will be the only remaining thing in focus.

4. A-Dep: This mode is only available on some Canon cameras. This mode tries to calculate the aperture and point of focus of the nearest and farthest elements in your shot while keeping them still in focus.

5. Shutter Priority: On your camera it may be a S or Tv. You will set the shutter speed to what you want and the camera will adjust the aperture for the right exposure. When using a flash, the maximum shutter speed will be limited to how fast the flash and shutter can work together.

6. Manual: On your camera it will be a M. It’s basically a do-it-yourself mode. You will be able to set all settings manually. The camera will warn you if your modes won’t work together, but will never change what you had without you doing it manually.

I hope this will help you get more familiar with your camera. The modes are something to get to known with when you are shooting different events because it will make you a better photographer. See what works for you and your style of photos and roll with it!

-Katie :) 

Candid Photo Tips

Candid photos are some of the best photos because half the time the subjects of the picture don’t even know their getting their pictures taken. I will give you five tips to help you take the best candid photos you can!

1.     Don’t use flash. Using the flash is the most obvious thing and subjects will know that you’re taking their pictures. To create a bright photo, widen your aperture and raise your ISO; doing this will give your photos more focus on the subject rater than the surroundings.

2.     Shoot from the hip. It gives a new perspective and will also give you a cover when trying to be sneaky. If you have a subject that is opposed to having their picture taken this can be a great technique to use.

3.     Catch people in the moment. In the moment photos, show the raw emotion of the subjects. It will also make for a more spontaneous photo.

4.     Take multiple pictures. People are unpredictable so take multiple shots while they are in motion. It will increase the chances of you getting fun and awesome shots!

5.     Include background objects.  Often times, candid photos don’t have depth. I usually try and have the subject on either the right or left side of the picture as a way to add background objects.

Candid photos can often times end up creepy or just plain weird, but most often they can be some of the most fun pictures. These tips will help you achieve better candid photos too!

-Katie :)

Best Photography Apps

Today, posting pictures off of mobile devices saves time, but did you know there are apps for your device that will allow you to edit your pictures right away too? I will give you some ideas on which apps are the best for the amount you will pay and what they have to offer for you!

PowerCam- This app is priced at $0.99 in the Apple app store. It comes with a variety of different effects like color splach, sketch, and panorama that will work for both photos and videos. It is a very easy app to learn with capabilities to upload the pictures directly to Facebook, Twitter, and many other social networks.

Photoshop Express- This app is free in the Apple app store! It has most of the capabilities as regular Adobe Photoshop but its broken down into quick easy edit portions. It allows you to crop, take out red eye, and add effects all with the touch of a finger. This app only allows you to share photos to Facebook and Tumbler.

Camera+ : This app is priced at $0.99 in the Apple app store. It provides effects, Lightbox, and captions. It is a excellent app that allows you to share to all social networks.

Instagram: This app is free in the Apple app store! Instagram has become a social network of just pictures. You can add effects and borders to new and old pictures to share with the world!

FX Photo Studio: This app is priced at $1.99 in the Apple app store. It provides the photographer with over 180 effects to make your photos better, but also comes with the basic cropping and color adjustments.

These are just a few of some awesome photo apps you can get from the Apple app store. Now, almost all apps have some way to share what you’ve done on a social network such as Facebook or Twitter, which makes it even more convenient for the buyer!

-Katie :)